I'm a Landlord

Five ways we maximise your investment and let you get on with your life

You didn’t buy an investment property to become a property manager. Our philosophy is simple; to look after your property as if it were our own. This means always selecting the best quality tenants, achieving the highest market rental, ensuring that your property is maintained in excellent condition and providing you with prompt, personalised service at all times.

You receive personal attention from experienced managers

Our property management team provide the highest level of service and support to home owners and tenants. Your property will receive personal attention from our hand-picked, experienced team with a single point of contact to eliminate the usual run around most landlords experience. We provide good old fashioned personal service, supported by the latest technology and systems, giving you the best of both worlds.

We are thorough and selective comprehensive reference checking is carried out on all prospective tenants and a 100 point ID validation process is used to confirm identity. We never hand out keys for inspections and all prospective tenants are personally shown through your property so we can further gauge their suitability.

Your property reaches more prospective tenants

Should your property become vacant it will be showcased in our weekly database email to over 1600 recipients, and can be viewed on line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere in the world using our widely visited website timmsrealestate.com.au and other real estate web sites such as domain.com.au, realestate.com.au and homehound.com.

Our goal is to maximise your return. We don’t believe just collecting your rent is managing your property. It’s about maximising your return and protecting your asset. Our property management team will conduct thorough regular property inspections, detailing the condition of your home, and guide you on how to maintain your property in a manner that will maximise your rental return and the long term value of your asset.

How we can best be of service to you

We have a team of experienced experts who will assess the current rental market and provide you with an analysis of the highest potential market rental for your property. We also won’t over value your property in an attempt to win your business. Honest and expert information along with excellent service. What more could you ask? Whatever it may be – we are here to deliver!

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly will you find a tenant?

It’s hard to guarantee an exact time frame. Some properties rent the first day they hit the market, while others may take a little longer. We generally find, if the property is priced accurately and is well presented, we can source quality tenants within about 14 days. In this regard it is important that your property is priced accurately in relation to the current market and we will advise you on this important matter. Our team will ensure you receive the best possible rental return but at the same time alleviate any delay in the rental of your property.

How will you find me a tenant?

We use a range of methods to secure a quality tenant for you. These will include our extensive database, the internet, on site For Lease signage, office brochures and local newspaper advertising. We find this combination generates significant enquiry and provides us with the opportunity to select the most appropriate application for your property.

How do you qualify tenants?

There are two main criteria to consider when selecting a suitable tenant for your property; their ability to pay the rent and their ability to maintain your property in its current condition. We qualify all prospective tenants in relation to both these criteria and our application form extracts all of the required information to qualify their suitability. Your property manager will reference check applicants and qualify the information provided by each tenant and discuss the information collected with you and, together, select the best tenant.

Confirmation you have found the right tenant?

Potential tenants are traced through the national tenancy database; a tenant that has defaulted in the past through a real estate agency that subscribes to the tenancy database will have these instances recorded. These databases should help reduce the chances of getting a tenant with a bad track record. All references along with previous rental managers / landlords are researched as standard protocol.

What costs do I need to pay?

The fees payable are an initial marketing and letting marketing fee to secure the best tenant and a monthly management fee and administration fee to handle the ongoing management of the property. How do I receive my rent? Your rent is paid to you via an electronic funds transfer into your nominated account each month (or if required, twice monthly).

How do you guarantee that my property will not be damaged?

Even though every tenant’s application is screened very carefully, accidents do happen and there can be no guarantee that your property will not be damaged. Our team will conduct regular inspections to minimise any problems that may arise. Routine inspections generally take place every three months. As the owner of the property you can be present for inspections if you wish. Periodic inspections allow us to check on the condition of the property and report any required maintenance and repairs to you as early as possible.

Are rental inspections necessary?

Inspections are necessary to ensure the tenant is looking after the property as outlined in the signed lease agreement. If a tenant is not looking after the property satisfactorily then a breach may need to be issued outlining what needs to be rectified. As a landlord you should be notified about the breach and the time frame set for the tenant to rectify the problem. If the problem is not fixed, the tenant will be asked to vacate the property along with a termination notice. Inspections encourage the tenant to maintain an acceptable standard of cleanliness and presentation. Maintenance issues can also be discussed during the inspection.

What is an ingoing inspection report?

This is a report compiled at the start of a tenancy prior to the tenant moving in. The report outlines the condition of the property at the commencement of the tenancy and is used as a reference to ensure the property is left in the same condition. At the completion of the lease agreement the ingoing inspection report is compared to the condition of the property once the tenant has returned the keys. From this point the property is assessed and should be in similar condition as when the tenant moved in.

It is at this point any items that need to be rectified are done so by the tenant in order to meet previous inspection reports.

Why is it necessary for a property condition report?

A thorough check room by room, collaborating a record of marks, scratches, holes, state of carpets, fixtures and fittings, together with back up photographs is very necessary to give an accurate assessment of the overall condition of the premises. It is important for both tenant and landlord to agree on the condition. An ingoing inspection report can take many hours to correctly assess. At the end of the tenancy and before the bond is released, the ingoing inspection report is updated. The report is used to cross reference the condition of the property upon the tenant vacating. Without these reports and stringent processes it would be very difficult to claim any damages or neglect.

How are maintenance and repairs handled?

Minor repairs are handled by your property manager, and we will discuss a cost limit on these repairs at the start of the tenancy management. For any large repairs, quotes will be organised and discussed with you prior to moving forward.

Urgent repairs, regardless of cost, may be required by law to be acted upon immediately as legislated in the Residential Tenancy Act. At Timms Real Estate we only utilise high quality licensed trades people and suppliers and all their work is insured.

How often will I hear from you once my property is rented?

Your property manager will liaise with you to determine your preferences regarding both the frequency and method of our contact with you once your property has been rented. We ensure our communication keeps you updated without distracting you unnecessarily.

What happens when a tenant is behind in his rental payment?

It is reiterated to all tenants that a zero tolerance policy is standard with regard to rental arrears. If a tenant does fall behind with their rental payments they will receive a phone call or SMS requesting they rectify the difference immediately:

If the first notice is not rectified, we will notify you the landlord seeking further instruction.

What is landlord protection insurance?

It is strongly recommended that you as the landlord take out landlord’s protection insurance. This policy will cover you for such items as loss of rent, malicious damage and theft. Many different companies can arrange such insurance so it is wise to shop around.

Managing your investment

At Timms Real Estate we know what is important to landlords - profit, protection and communication at a fair price.

We are leaders in the area of Professional Property Management. Our profile amongst both buyers and sellers is second to none. We have a proven record of success and an impressive portfolio of clients. As a company, we manage a growing portfolio of over 200 rental properties and this is consistently growing.

Our aim is to exceed expectations in all areas of property management which is why we continue to develop resources and services to ensure our systems, processes and people are the best in the industry.